Q: What To Do With Over-Fermented Kefir?

Maria G. asked:

Hi Wardee,

I have enjoyed listening to your weekly program and had never thought of a question until now.

Do you have any ideas of wonderful food that can be made from overly fermented kefir (too much time) or buttermilk (too low temperature) that would taste great and save it from being thrown into the trash?

My kitchen temperature has not been stable over the last weeks (falling into the cool side) and I've been having less than satisfactory batches of both kefir and buttermilk. I tried cooking kefir with cinnamon and rapadura; the outcome was not bad but all the house was left smelling like soured cooked cheese (or something, really smelly). Do you have any thoughts on this?

Thank you!!! —Maria

9 Uses For Over-Fermented Kefir

With all these ideas, keep in mind to use less, rather than more, if the strong flavor is an issue.

#1 — Mild Kefir / Fruit Bowls

Whisk or blend your over-soured kefir with another batch of kefir that's not so sour and you'll get something in the middle. You can also whisk with milk or whey.

Then top with fruit and enjoy in kefir fruit bowls or as you would normally enjoy your kefir!

If the strong flavor is an issue, consider blending your sour kefir with less sour dairy before proceeding with any of the rest of these ideas…

#2 — Smoothies

Use your over-soured kefir in any smoothie recipes calling for yogurt, sour cream, or buttermilk. You don't have to do the whole amount with your strong kefir; just replace some of the dairy with it to strike the right flavor balance.

#3 — Salad Dressings

Use your over-fermented kefir in any salad dressing recipes calling for yogurt, sour cream, or buttermilk.

#5 — Kefir Soured Bread

Kefir can help prepare grains for better digestion and nutrition, not to mention help with leavening. So, use your kefir as a souring agent for breads like this Sourdough Lavash.

#6 — Homemade Popsicles

Often homemade popsicles call for milk or yogurt. Use kefir for some or all of the dairy in the recipe. Yumm!

#7 — Homemade Ice Cream

Use some of your kefir in the ice cream base and you'll get a probiotic ice cream! Citrus and chocolate taste great with a bit of a sour kick in my book!

#8 — Face Mask Or Face Cream

Kefir contains lactic acid, one of the alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs). AHAs are found in real foods like milk (and expensive face creams!). They're really good for sloughing off dead skin and encouraging collagen production. So why not use your kefir as a face mask or cream?

Simply spread on skin or rub into your skin. Leave on or rinse off after awhile.

By The Way… What Is Kefir Anyway?

Kefir is a fermented dairy that's similar to yogurt, except the mother culture is both beneficial bacteria and yeast. Yogurt is just beneficial bacteria.

The end result is thinner, more sour, and even a bit effervescent or bubbly, due to the organisms producing more gas as they culture the milk.

You can make kefir with raw or pasteurized milk. It's easier than yogurt, really. Simply plop your culture (either grains or powder) into a bit of milk, cover your jar, and let it culture at room temperature for 24 to 48 hours (adjusting up or down depending on the season of the year, temperature of your house, etc.).

Then, if you're using grains, you remove them and put ithem a new batch of milk, and cover and refrigerate the finished kefir. Or if you're using powder, you cover and refrigerate your finished kefir, using more powder for the next batch.

FYI: Kefir made with the grains is far superior to kefir made with a powder because it has more strains of beneficial organisms. And in my opinion, it tastes better, too!

What Is The #AskWardee Show?

The #AskWardee Show is the live weekly show devoted to answering your niggling questions about Traditional Cooking: whether it's your sourdough starter, your sauerkraut, preserving foods, broth, superfoods or anything else to do with Traditional Cooking or your GNOWFGLINS lifestyle.

I’d like to mention that kefir grains *love* goat milk. I started making kefir with organic whole cow milk, but then tried it with goat milk, and found that it thrived much better in the goat milk.

Also, as you keep using the grains, they’ll grow. At some point you’re going to have too much of it, and it’ll work too quickly. So what to do with the extra kefir grains? Eat it! I recently found information online that suggests blending small amounts (1/2 tsp or so) at a time in smoothies (among other uses).

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